Some industry observers see the ongoing legal dispute as Apple's attempt to curtail the rapid growth of phones based on Google's rival Android software, because Samsung was by far the largest adopter of the operating platform.

"Though this verdict is large by normal standards, it is hard to view this outcome as much of a victory for Apple. This amount is less than 10 per cent of the amount Apple requested, and probably doesn't surpass by too much the amount Apple spent litigating this case," said Brian Love, assistant professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law.

"Apple launched this litigation campaign years ago with aspirations of slowing the meteoric rise of Android phone manufacturers. It has so far failed to do so, and this case won't get it any closer."

The current case involves five Apple patents that were not in the 2012 trial and that cover iPhone features like slide-to-unlock and search technology. Apple is seeking to ban sales of several Samsung phones, including the Galaxy S3, and sought more than $US2 billion in damages.

It will now be up to Judge Koh to decide if a sales ban is warranted, though legal experts deem that unlikely.

"An injunction is extremely unlikely," argued Michael Carrier, a professor at Rutgers Law School. "The Federal Circuit sets a high bar."

To and fro

During the trial, Samsung argued that Apple had vastly exaggerated the importance of its patented iPhone features, while Apple said the South Korean company could not have competed in the smartphone market without unfairly copying its flagship product.

The two tech leaders also sparred over how Google's work on the software used in Samsung phones affects Apple's patent claims. Samsung's phones run on the Android mobile operating system developed by Google.

Apple said Google shouldn't affect how jurors analysed Samsung's liability, partly because Google had agreed to reimburse some of Samsung's costs.

Samsung also claims that Apple violated two patents on streaming video. It is seeking to ban the iPhone 5, and asserted a $US6 million damages claim. On Friday, the jury ordered Apple to pay Samsung $US158,400.